Format Changes Enhance Battle To Qualify for Indianapolis 500

Plan Designed To Add Excitement To Qualifying Days Will Debut This May

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, March 7, 2014) - INDYCAR announced a new qualifying format to set the 33-car starting lineup for the 98th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Qualifying will be enhanced with three sessions of time trials over two eventful days, with the goal of increasing entertainment value, fan attendance and TV viewership for the 2014 qualifying weekend on May 17-18, 2014.

"This new format includes two exciting days of on-track action, all culminating on Sunday with the Fast Nine Shootout," said Mark Miles, CEO, Hulman Motorsports. "Fans get to watch their favorite drivers battle to make the field on Saturday, and then fight for a pole position on Sunday. It will be a great show for fans attending the race and watching the broadcast on ABC."

The format is as follows:

• Saturday, May 17 (11 a.m.-5:50 p.m. ET)

• The fastest 33 cars compose the starting field (but not starting positions).

• All entries are guaranteed at least one four-lap attempt to qualify.

• The fastest nine entries advance to the Fast Nine Shootout.

• Sunday, May 18 (10:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET)

• Saturday times are erased and entries 10-33 must complete another four-lap attempt to determine their starting position in order of the slowest to fastest from Saturday times.

• Fast Nine Shootout, Sunday, May 18 (2-2:45 p.m. ET)

• Each entry will receive one four-lap attempt in the order of the slowest to the fastest from Saturday times. Aggregate times will determine the Verizon P1 Award winner and top three rows.

Martin Plowman Returns to the IndyCar Cockpit at Sebring Test

SEBRING, FL Feb 19, 2014—After a full day of testing the ABC Supply Honda IndyCar, rookie driver Martin Plowman commented, “It was just like riding a bike.”

In context, Plowman was referring to the comfort level he felt in the cockpit after a two year, five month absence from open wheel racing. “It was a special moment pulling away from the pits for the first time,” the 26-year-old Englishman said. “Before today I was a little bit nervous about getting back up to speed, you have these self-doubts sometimes and they all disappeared by lap one. It was just like riding a bike. By the end of lap eight I was already up to speed and on the pace so it was a great boost of confidence to know that I can just jump in and get straight to work.”

Team owner A.J. Foyt flew in from Houston to meet the rookie and watch him adapt to the Dallara DW12 chassis which Plowman drove for the first time today.

“It was the first time I met Martin and I thought he worked very well today,” said Foyt, who was back at the track for the first time since having his right knee replaced in mid-December. “I thought he ran a fine test for us because we ran a lot of different things on the car and he gave good feedback. I was very happy with the way things went. I think he’ll be a great contender.”

Plowman logged 109 laps around a modified Sebring International Raceway, which is shortened to 1.67 miles for IndyCar testing. Regular No. 14 driver Takuma Sato, who had tested at the track on Monday, was on hand to help his Indy Double teammate.

“The day went very well I thought,” Plowman said. “You can’t read much into the times here because the track is changing all the time, people are running different fuel loads, or they’re on new tires, where we were focusing on doing a lot of different experiments. We had a couple of very strong runs there at the end on used tires, which gave us confidence. More importantly, we learned a lot of things that we can take with us to my first race at the Indy Grand Prix.”

Plowman will drive the Al-Fe Heat Treating Honda in the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 10th. He will drive the No. 41 ABC Supply Honda in the Indianapolis 500 on May 25th. Both races will be broadcast live by ABC-TV.

Alfe Heat Treating Makes It Four in a Row!

WALLER, Texas January 29, 2014—Industry leader Alfe Heat Treating returns as a major associate sponsor of the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing team in 2014 marking their fourth straight year with the team.

The Ft. Wayne, Indiana-based company has continued to find ways to leverage its motorsports marketing partnership since its entry into the sport in 2011. “We feel Indy Car is a great way to present Alfe Heat Treating to the public and show our customers we have a solid relationship to the automotive industry, as well as give our employees something to relate to, look forward to, and enjoy away from the work week,” said Kurt Westman, president and founder of one of the nation’s largest heat treating services company. “Overall the feedback has been positive from both the customer and employee base.”

Ryan Westman, Alfe’s Regional Sales Manager, who administers the motorsports program for the company, seconded that belief, saying, “This is really our employees’ and customers’ team because without their loyalty to Alfe Heat Treating, we wouldn’t be racing on Sunday.”

Beginning as a limited race sponsorship, Alfe’s support has evolved into a season long association with one of the IndyCar Series’ oldest and most storied teams.

“Being part of the Foyt team continues to amaze me,” said Westman, who founded the company in 1979. “They have welcomed us and made us a real part of their racing team as well as Indy Car. They have proven to be winners in every way! Every member of the team has continued to represent Alfe Heat Treating in a positive and professional manner. My thanks to each and every one of them! It is also very good to hear A.J. is feeling much better and hopefully will be at a few more races this year.”

Martin Plowman Is Set to Drive the Indy Double

WALLER, Texas Feb. 17, 2014—IndyCar rookie Martin Plowman will do the “Indy Double” this May, thus taking part in the IndyCar Series’ newest race and, two weeks later, its most historic competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 26-year-old Englishman will drive the No. 41 Al-Fe Heat Treating Honda in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the No. 41 ABC Supply Honda in the Indianapolis 500 it was announced by the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing team today.

The venture marks the first time that Al-Fe Heat Treating will be the primary sponsor of an Indy Car. The company began as an associate sponsor of the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing team in 2011. The Ft. Wayne, Indiana-based company has continued to build its involvement in the IndyCar Series over the past three seasons; Al-Fe started as an associate sponsor of the No. 41 car in the Indy 500 and became a season long associate sponsor on the No. 14 car in the IndyCar Series.

"We, at Al-Fe Heat Treating, are very excited about being a primary sponsor with AJ Foyt Racing for IndyCar’s inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis in our home state and before our home crowd!” said Kurt Westman, President of Al-Fe Heat Treating. “Larry [Foyt] and I have discussed this possibility over the last season and we feel this is the perfect venue for us to step-up with the team.

"Being part of bringing Martin back to IndyCar is special and having him run both races at Indianapolis will allow us to build momentum and teamwork going into the ‘500’. I am looking forward to meeting Martin at this Wednesday’s practice at Sebring," Westman added.

Legendary Racing Family Is En Route to Legendary Status in Wine!

SONOMA, Calif. January 21, 2014—The Foyt family is known for their legendary status in motorsports. Now they are serving notice to the wine industry!

The Foyt Family Wines 2010 No. 77 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon won the Double Gold Medal in the prestigious 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC). It is the second straight year that the eponymous wine won a Double Gold in the “Cabernet Sauvignon $60.00 & Over” category in the world’s largest competition of American wines.

“We were truly honored to win back-to-back Double Golds with our 2009 and 2010 vintages of the No. 77 -- and just a bit surprised -- when the 2014 results were released,” said Larry Foyt, the son of legendary race driver A.J. Foyt. “We named the No. 77 after my dad’s landmark year when he became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times in 1977,” said Foyt.

“That career-defining moment garnered him unprecedented international exposure as he was lauded as the world’s best Indy car driver. For our wine to take Double Gold medals two years in a row makes us feel that we’re following the same path as my dad but in the world of ultra-premium cabernet sauvignon wines,” said Foyt, who started the wine company five years ago with A.J. Foyt IV, grandson of the motorsports icon.

With over 5,800 entries in this year’s world renowned SFCWC, winning the Double Gold medal is a feat in itself. To win it for the second consecutive year is remarkable for the relatively young wine company as many of its competitors have been making wine for decades.